Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-11-30
THREE BLUE HUSSARS.
THE PRuSSlAN CAVAl RYMEN WHO
WE'RE FIRST TO ENTER PARIS.

A Curious Incident Which Might Hav.
Prolonged the Franco p ussian War
| % Interview with One Of the Daring Ad
| vance Guards--A Possibility.
Among the many who read with inter.
est the review Of Mr.. +. B WashDurne's
last literary work, ''Reco'lectioDs Of u
| Minister To France" was Mr.. Albert ID.
Levinger, u prominent gentleman who il
| now staying in this city la the review
| special reference was made To the singular
| fact that Paris after the Franco Prussian
| war was first entered by three husSars.
and not, rs is generally supposed, by 80,
| OUO Prussian troops i'll body. This curl
| Gus incident, which proved 10 he Of buI
minor Importance. but which might have
ended the armistice and prolonged the
war, seems TO have escaped all other his
torians but Mr.. Washburne Evidently
unaware OF the circumstances attending
this singular and hitherto unexplained epi
sudc Mr.. Washburne dismisses it in
paragraph and incorrectly illustrates the
blue horsemen as emerging from the
Arc de Triomphe. In the review il was
said that the treaty OF peace provided for
the admission on March l, 1871, of 30, 600
Prussians into the capital. But they did
not all come together.
On the contrary, Pars may be said to
have been taken possession of, strange rs
II may appear, by three blue hussars. On
the morning of March ), at 9O'clock, they
rode in at the Porte MaillOt, proceeded up
the avenue Of the Grand Army and
walked their horses slowly down the
magnificent avenue OF the Champs Elysees
with carbines cooked and finger upon the
trigger, three horsemen, the sole heralds
or representatives of the tremendous con
quering host that had overthrown France
One Of these hussars was Mr.. Levinger.
then a cadet sergeant in the Thirteenth
Blue lIussars. The second was Baron
Won Jageman, lieutenant in the same
regiment, and the third was private who
acted as orderly. Your correspondent,
learning Of Mr.. Levingers connection
with the affair, sought an interview, in
the course Of which Mr.. Levingcr said:
''On March l the second, third and
fourth squadrons of my regiment left
Versailles about o'clock in the morning.
The troops which were TO enter Paris had
left the night before and were quartered
near the Lonychamps, so rs TO be fresh the
next morning for the review and the en-
try Of Paris To let as many corps as
possible enter the city among the stip-
ulated 30, 900 men only the first battalion
of each infantry regiment and the first
squadron OF each cavalry regiment were
selected to compose the occupying force
When we reached the Longchamps the Of
ficers We're called forward and told that
the emperor would review the troops and
that the men were present to prevent at |
tentats or any attempt upon his life
We were ordered TO ride patrouilles to |
tho Notifications OF Paris, and not 10 al !
low any civilian, whosoever he might be, |
To remain in the Bois de Boulogne, | |
rode the first patrouille, and found Sc eral |
people occupying houses in the Bois, bnt !
they left when I ordered them to 60 into |
the city. Resuming my ride to the forti- !
fications ! arrived ut the gate and halted |
my men. Without giving the matter |
second thought rode over the bridge and |
stood in Paris, the first Prussian to enter |
the city. A few people who We're there |
shouted, The PruSsiansn but they made |
no hostile demonstrations, and. after look |
ing around, rode out and joined my |
men. When returned told my friend, |
Baron Won Jagemen, that had been in |
Paris.
You are only joking he replied.
Il assured him that l had really been /
within the Notifications. He was a man |
who was fond Of adventure and he imme-
dia:cly proposed another trip. l assented, |
and we selected an orderly to go with u.s.
His name. l think, was Kaiser. When |
we entered Paris the streets were well |
nigh deserted. We walked our horses up |
oae Of the principal avenues. On the left |
II r. 81
were many wounded soldiers. We very |
saluted, but they sullenly declined |
To return it, We rode along until we |
reached the Arc de Triomphe. At the
sight Of that magnificent pile our hearts |
swelled with pride, and Jassman and i
clasped hands with much emotion at being
the first Prussians in Paris.
The Arc de Triomphe was closed with
heavy chains and deep bitches were dug
before it, SO that we could not pass
it, and by doing so painfully
wound French national pride. Crowds of
people assembled at the Arc, and when
they saw US approaching they shouted,
'Assassins! Prussiansr and crowded us SO
closely that drew my saber in anticipa-
ton of an attack.
For Gods sake, Levinger,' said Jage-
I2ltlb, uoh hSs III io". hNs ho ictul |
II it become known that we entered Paris
against orders we will be court martialed.
II does not matter so much to you, for
you will leave the army after the war, but
it will ruin my military career
I'VE had received imperative orders to
ride as far Us the fortiiications only, and,
seeing the wisdom OF his counsel. as
scnted. We turned around and rode to
the gate Of the Bois de Boulogne. When
we entered the Bois We met Director of
Field Police Stieber AID about 100 men
Nvo told him where we had been, and he
asked in astonishment: What did you see,
What did they say to you.
"'Some threw little mud at us and we
were paid few compliments l replied.
One of Director Stieber's officers wanted
to go in with the director. but the latter
replied that he preferred to wait until
regiment could accompany him. We re-
Joined our regiment. The emperor ar
rived shortly, and. after reviewing the
troops. returned to Versailles, while the
% GOO selected men marched into Paris.
I'VE said nothing about our adventure
for fear Of being court martialed. In the
rapidly changing panorama Of events
which were crowded into that spring we
did not realize what we had done. have
since thought, however, that if we had
got into a fight with the sansculottes in the
streets and been killed the result might
have been serious. The Paris mob was
ready tor any kind Of violence, as the ter
rible commune subsequently showed, and
the Prussians were in no mood for trifling
Baron Won Jageman is still in the regular
army and in the same regiment Of which
Einy Humbert of Italy is honorary col